1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading device in which image data, having a multitude of pixel data, is obtained by an imaging device, and after a reading operation of the pixel data from the imaging device, some of the pixel data are thinned out.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known an image reading device, such as a digital camera, in which image data is obtained by an imaging device such as a CCD, and a color image, corresponding to the image data, can be recorded in a recording medium. The CCD is provided with an on-chip color filter, in which color filter elements of the three primary colors, for example, are provided on photo-diodes of the CCD. Namely, a pixel data generated by each of the photo-diodes corresponds to one of the primary colors, and thus, the pixel data does not indicate the other primary colors. Thus, an interpolation process is performed to obtain pixel data of the other primary colors.
A number of pixel data, recorded in the recording medium, is determined depending upon a recording mode, and is usually much less than that of the photo-diodes. Therefore, in a conventional device, after the interpolation process, some of pixel data are thinned out to reduce the number of pixel data in conformity with the number of pixel data to be recorded in the recording medium.
Thus, in the conventional device, three image frame's worth of color image data are generated because of the interpolation process, and the thinning process is then applied to the color image data. Namely, in the interpolation process and the thinning process, a large number of pixel data are processed, and therefore, it takes a long time to obtain the pixel data to be recorded.